Protesters gather at the Iowa Air National Guard Base in Des Moines, Iowa on Satuday, March 15, 2014, to demonstrate their opposition to U.S. Military use of Unmannned Aerial Vehicles.
Charlie Litchfield/The Register

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Police keep an eye on the protesters Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they block McKinley Avenue in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.(Photo: Michael Zamora/The Register)Buy Photo

Four people arrested last month while protesting outside the Iowa Air National Guard base at the Des Moines airport have been ordered to pay more than $3,000 to the city, court records show.

They were arrested June 28 after blocking McKinley Avenue near the air base entrance while protesting the base's operation of military drones overseas.

Ruby Montoya, 27, Jesse Horne, 20, and Jessica Reznicek, 35, all of Des Moines, and Spencer Kaaz, 21, of Memphis, Tenn., were charged with disorderly conduct and interference with official acts. They were released from jail the day after they were arrested.

They've pleaded guilty and were ordered last week to pay a joint restitution amount of $3,241.01 to the city of Des Moines, in addition to other court fees, records show.

The money will pay for the work of several police officers, firefighters and city street maintenance workers who were called to the protest, which blocked McKinley Avenue for more than two hours.

Court records show a breakdown of the city's costs in responding to the protest: $1,222.18 for police labor costs, $1,141.56 for firefighter labor costs, $47.32 for city-owned vehicle response and $829.95 for street maintenance.

A larger group of people participated in the protest, but only Montoya, Horne, Reznicek and Kaaz refused to leave when police asked them to stop blocking the road. All four of them sat in the road with their arms in concrete barriers that they had set up. The fire department had to cut the concrete barriers to clear the road.

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Officer Cordell Miller writes down the names of the protesters Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they block McKinley Avenue with homemade concrete barriers in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Jessica Reznicek of Des Moines sits with her arm locked inside a homemade concrete barrier Wednesday, June 28, 2017, she and a group of protesters place on McKinley Avenue to block traffic in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protesters Ruby Montoya of Des Moines (left) ad Madilyn Smith, 10, of St. Louis, block traffic Wednesday, June 28, 2017, along McKinley Avenue in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Officers approach protesters Jesse Horne (left) and Jessica Reznicek, both of Des Moines, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they remain on the road with their arms locked inside a homemade concrete barrier in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Police handcuff Jessica Reznicek of Des Moines Wednesday, June 28, 2017, after cutting her loose from a concrete barrier she had attached herself to and placed along McKinley road to block traffic in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protester Spencer Kaaz of Memphis, Tenn., looks over his shoulders as police place him into the back of a van in handcuffs Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Madilyn Smith, 10, of St. Louis hands out flyers to passing Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they detour around a road blocked by protesters in by the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protesters stop in the middle of the street and unload four concrete barriers to block McKinley Avenue Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protesters stop in the middle of the street and unload four concrete barriers to block McKinley Avenue Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Spencer Kaaz of Memphis, Tenn., (from left) Jessica Reznicek of Des Moines and Jesse Horne of Des Moines lock their hands into a set of concrete barriers Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Officer Cordell Miller arrives on the scene Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as a group of protesters block the street and lock themselves into a set of homemade concrete barriers in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Police keep an eye on the protesters Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they block McKinley Avenue in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protesters hold their ground as officer Cordell Miller arrives on the scene Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Spencer Kaaz of Memphis, Tenn., sits on the road with his hand locked in a homemade concrete barrier Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protesters Jessica Reznicek (left) and Jesse Horne, both of Des Moines, sit with their arms locked inside a concrete barrier Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they block McKinley Avenue in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Protesters block the road as police look on Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Police approach the protesters with a final request to clear the roadway Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as they block McKinley road in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Activist Frank Cordaro (left) plays a recording of President Trump speaking on the campaign trail about attacking terrorists' families Wednesday, June 28, 2017, as police block off the area where protesters blocked McKinley Avenue in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Alex Cohen of St. Louis continues to chant and cheer on protesters blocking the street Wednesday, June 28, 2017, after police pushed back other protesters and members of the media from the scene where a group of four protesters blocked the road in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Fire fighters break through the homemade concrete barriers to release the protesters arms locked inside Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Fire fighters break through the homemade concrete barriers to release the protesters arms locked inside Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in front of the Air National Guard Base in Des Moines. The group of demonstrators blocked the road to call attention to the use of military drones.
Michael Zamora/The Register

Police and fire officials on scene that morning described the protest as peaceful. Several of the protesters repeatedly said that they are nonviolent and promote peace.

The group of about 20 protesters was organized by Frank Cordaro, a former Catholic priest affiliated with the Catholic Worker House, who said he wants the Air Guard base to stop flying military drones, which he believes are killing innocent people overseas.

The protesters held signs that included the phrases "End war" and "End drone warfare."

Cordaro was not arrested that day, but he had previously been arrested outside the air base for trespassing. He and others had protested there regularly since May.

The 132nd Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard started using remotely piloted aircraft in October 2013, a switch from piloting F-16 aircraft, Iowa National Guard spokesman Col. Greg Hapgood said in a statement after the protest. The unit remotely operates MQ-9 Reaper aircraft overseas from the Des Moines air base, Hapgood said, adding that "the vast majority" of flight missions are focused on gathering intelligence and imagery about enemies.

Guard members "serve proudly to uphold the free expression rights" of protesters, Hapgood said, but he added that contacting U.S. senators and representatives would be more effective than protesting locally.

"Protesting here does nothing to effect change with respect to the national defense missions," Hapgood said.

The protesting has continued on a smaller scale compared with the June 28 road-blocking and arrests. Court records show Horne was arrested again outside the air base on July 1. He was cited for trespassing.